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Michael Alig and friend James St. James (along w/ Rupaul, Amanda Lepore, et al) were part of the late 80’searly 90’s New York personalities known as The Club Kids. The group was notable for their elaborate and outrageous costumes and rampant drug use.

Alig’s notoriety and influence grew, and at one point he was on the payrolls of several clubs owned by Peter Gatien for simply showing up with his entourage, since their behavior attracted customers. Alig and the Club Kids also began holding illegal “outlaw” parties in various public places, including a donut shop, a semi-truck trailer, and the NYC Subway. At the height of their cultural popularity, the Club Kids toured the United States and appeared on several talk shows, such as Geraldo, Phil Donahue and Joan Rivers (on Youtube and hilarious).

In 1996 Alig and his friend Robert “Freeze” Riggs murdered friend and drug dealer, Angel Melendez after an argument over a long-standing drug debt. Alig has claimed many times that he was so high that he hardly remembers the events. Yet he somehow managed to beat Angel to death with a hammer, leave him in his tub for a week then dismember him and throw his body in the Hudson river. Several months later, Melendez’s torso washed up. Alig was arrested, confessed and sentenced to 10-20 years. Alig was released after serving 17 years on May 5, 2014.

Check out Party Monster – the awful film starring Macauley Culkin, Seth Green and Marilyn Manson. Or the pretty good book, Disco Bloodbath by James St. JAmes.